“I wouldn’t stick around any longer to work on that dumb assignment with you. I’ve already given you my ideas. What more do you want?” Irritation dripped from his tone, lined with boredom, as if this conversation was the last thing he desired.
“I would like some respect. I’m still a human with feelings.”
“I don’t care,” he shot back, refusing to meet my gaze as he continued walking. I trailed behind him, a pathetic shadow, painfully aware of his desire to humiliate me, to exert control. That thought should have been enough to make me swallow my pride and walk away, but I couldn’t.
“You should care! I hope someone treats you with the same cruelty you show me. Maybe then you’ll learn some decency.” I feltlike a broken record, constantly repeating myself, pleading for better treatment.
That was when Caiden stopped abruptly, turning to face me. My knees nearly buckled under the weight of his intensity. My pulse quickened, a frantic rhythm echoing in my ears.
His eyes were pools of darkness. “I already know what it’s like. Get the hell off my back, Amelia, before you push me to snap.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but my throat felt dry and constricted. Panic surged within me; I was unprepared for what might happen if he truly snapped.
The thought gnawed at my psyche, intruding even on my sleep. I stood frozen as he charged down the hallway, swallowed by the throng of students.
When English class rolled around, I turned in the short story, covering for Caiden by telling Mr. Bowman that we had collaborated.
He believed me.
Years of honing my skills in deception had prepared me for this moment. Energy drained from me; I didn’t want to fight anymore. I just wanted the day to end.
A deep yearning washed over me, a longing to escape to a peaceful place where sunlight glimmered and my heart swelled with joy.
Life was growing weary. Each day, I struggled to find anything to hold onto that would propel me forward.
Just make it to graduation. Freedom was so tantalizingly close.
By the time the school day ended and I reached home, my heart hammered so fiercely I thought it might break free.
I stumbled into my dimly lit room and let myself fall onto the rumpled mattress. The air felt thick, suffocating, like my grief had taken physical form and pressed me to the sheets.
I curled inward, craving to vanish beneath the threadbare quilt, to lose myself for hours.
The lure of my mother’s prescription pills glimmered temptingly, but I steeled myself, I wouldn’t sink that low.
Instead, I surrendered to blank, thoughtless oblivion.
When I finally surfaced, the world had shifted fromafternoon light to the bruised purples of dusk. My eyes burned, my limbs ached, and an insistent growl rumbled in my gut.
Checking my phone, I noticed a missed call and a voicemail from Lillian. I opened it eagerly, remembering our last conversation when she’d confided that her roommate had left, leaving her alone in that apartment, struggling.
Silence hung for a few agonizing seconds, broken only by her soft breathing and the sound of muffled crying.
“Amelia,” her voice trembled through the receiver. “I tried calling, but you didn’t answer, so I guess I’ll just tell you this over voicemail. I—I don’t think I can do this anymore. I have nobody, and I can’t raise a child. I just can’t. There’s nothing for me. I’m done trying. I love you, Amelia. I’m sorry things turned out the way they did. I didn’t mean any of it. I hope you find a way out of that shithole of a house, though I won’t be there to witness it.”
Her words, choked with sobs, sent a chilling premonition of impending doom through me, like a physical weight settling on my chest.
“I tried so hard to be there for you, but my emotions got in the way. I could only focus on myself for so long. I’m so ashamed and regretful.”
A long pause followed, filled with sobs and hiccups. The impending dread coiled tighter around my heart.
“I’m sorry. I can’t make you understand. There’s nothing left in me to give or fight for. Goodbye.”
The line went dead. Panic surged through me, gripping my throat and twisting my gut into knots. I grabbed my keys and bolted toward the front door, leaving my mother sitting silently, her haunted eyes glazed over.
I sped to Lillian’s apartment, weaving through traffic and disregarding stoplights. I pleaded with the universe for her safety. My heart raced dangerously fast, pounding against my ribcage like a caged animal.
Tears blurred my vision; it couldn’t be. She couldn’t have given up. We needed each other.
